In-flight net: Surf in the air

Dubai: Emirates airlines is ramping up to offer limited in-flight internet capabilities for handheld users, XPRESS has learnt.

Patrick Brannelly, Vice-President of Corporate Communications, confirmed in an interview that by no later than mid-2010, Emirates aircraft will be equipped with what's called GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) technology that allows phone users to log on to the worldwide web.

Passengers can use GPRS to log on to Facebook and Twitter on their mobile phones through the airline's existing pay-as-you-go AeroMobile service.

The in-flight AeroMobile service was started two years ago and enables passengers to use their own phones to place calls, send e-mail and text messages.

Many Takers

In the first two months of this year, Brannelly said, 1.6 million people switched on their private phones during 55,000 flights made by Emirates. In that time, passengers sent 250,000 SMS texts while in flight.

The GPRS technology will complement existing connection services already available aboard 70 of Emirates' 140-airplane fleet, including some of the latest Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft.

With GPRS introduction they will now be able to do some slower web surfing on their own phone.

"You will be able to do some microsurfing on the plane," Brannelly said at the Aircraft Interiors Middle East show at the Airport Expo in Dubai this week.

Brannelly said Blackberry and other handheld users won't receive super high bandwidth connections so the microsurfing on the internet won't be flawless.

Much like GPRS phone connections on the ground that are "quick and dirty", Brannelly said the service will be for people who need a quick internet fix to catch up on the latest headlines, game scores or business developments.

Stay connected

The move by Emirates to introduce the GPRS facility to its passengers comes at a time when other airlines are moving to bring full internet access for laptops and notebooks to their customers in the Middle East while American travellers now have what's called Aircell Gogo Internet aboard domestic flights in North America.